We Are America

Tina: I Only Know America

Tina was born in Mexico and brought to the U.S. when she was six months old. She has never returned to Mexico or even left the United States. Tina currently has a work permit through Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA). However, the current administration is attempting to take away this status from Tina and hundreds of thousands like her.

Maria: I Stay for Justice

Maria has always despised crime and corruption, so she became a Federal Police Officer in Mexico. Every day, she fought tirelessly against an entrenched system of subversion. In 2015, Maria’s daughter Lucia was shot in the head and left to die on the side of the road. Maria personally investigated the crime and discovered that the killer was a known drug kingpin.

Blanca and George: Keeping American Families Together

Blanca had a very hard childhood, as she never found acceptance for who she was. She had hearing problems, and her eyes made her look different from other kids. Repeated discrimination meant that no one would hire her, so she began to search for a place where she could support herself, be a productive citizen, and live a meaningful life. At 25 years old, she left for the US.

Tina: I Only Know America

Tina was born in Mexico and brought to the U.S. when she was six months old. She attended school in San Jose and played on her high school soccer team. She went to a respectable four-year university, and she got good grades. She has never returned to Mexico or even left the United States.

To support herself, she has two jobs. She is a receptionist by day, working about 30 hours per week in a medical office. After work, she goes home and travels to a second job with her mother, where together they clean homes. Tina takes on two jobs because she lives with her younger siblings and her parents, and together they need the extra income.

Tina currently has a work permit through Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA). However, the current administration is attempting to take away this status from Tina and hundreds of thousands like her. Tina needs to determine her next steps in America, the only country she knows.

Maria: I Stay for Justice

Maria has always despised crime and corruption, so she became a Federal Police Officer in Mexico. Every day, she fought tirelessly against an entrenched system of subversion.

In 2015, Maria’s daughter Lucia was shot in the head and left to die on the side of the road. Maria personally investigated the crime and discovered that the killer was a known drug kingpin. She brought evidence to the police, but she was ignored - they would not arrest him. Soon after Maria complained that the case had been handled inappropriately, armored pickup trucks started following her during her commute to work. She quickly fled to the U.S. to save herself and her three remaining children.

The Mexican police never arrested the perpetrator, and he remains free to this day. To keep herself and her family safe and to continue her pursuit of justice, Maria needs help understanding how to remain in the U.S. Through Mobile Pathways, she can navigate the complexities of political asylum and learn more about her path forward.

Blanca and George: Keeping American Families Together

Blanca had a very hard childhood, as she never found acceptance for who she was. She had hearing problems, and her eyes made her look different from other kids. Repeated discrimination meant that no one would hire her, so she began to search for a place where she could support herself, be a productive citizen, and live a meaningful life. At 25 years old, she left for the US.

She found a home in the Bay Area, married the man of her dreams, and started a family. She now has two US born children. However, life is still not easy for her.

When her son George was born in 2010, it was immediately clear that something was different. Doctors diagnosed him with Pena Shokeir Syndrome, which causes lifelong physical and mental challenges.

Now eight years old, George has benefitted from exceptional health care from specialists at places like Stanford Health Care, yet he still suffers from extensive mental and physical disabilities. He wears braces, uses an oxygen tank to breathe, and experiences frequent convulsions. Without specialized medical care, George would not be alive today.

The American government recently placed Blanca in deportation proceedings. But after living in the US for twenty years, she needs to remain to care for her children. She cannot bring George with her to Mexico, as there are no specialists who could care for him.

Mobile Pathways educates people like Blanca about how to apply for Cancellation of Removal, a little known method that would ensure the family can remain together in the US and that George can continue to receive the medical treatment he needs to live.

Theory of Change

Staying Here Is Hard

Undocumented immigrants looking to establish themselves in the U.S. have great difficulty navigating the maze of our immigration system, due to the law’s complexity, the cost of representation, and language barriers.

We Make Staying Easy(er)

Gaining legal immigration status in the U.S. means knowing where to begin. Our solution helps immigrants know how to begin the process, and will further navigate them through the complex immigration process.

Messages Are Sent via Text

We use mobile phones and smart technology to walk the immigrant through a proprietary “decision tree”, which will answer potential paths for their legal immigration status.

Make a Connection

Prospective Americans will also receive information on what steps need to be taken to keep their American dream alive. Mobile Pathways will ensure they are connected to a safe and trusted partner that will guide their case forward.

Our Solution

Mobile Pathways uses mobile phones and Salesforce to walk immigrants through a "decision tree" that shows potential paths for legal immigration status. Once they understand their options, they will be given a list of qualified immigration advocates who can assist them by reviewing all possible solutions based on their likelihood of success.

Longer-term solutions will include collecting data from partners to monitor trends and shifts in immigration laws so that the advocates always have the best, most reliable information. This kind of data gathering does not exist in immigration law but is critical to helping immigrants.

Our Team

Jeffrey O'Brien

Jeff O’Brien has 10+ years working in immigration law. In 2010 he founded O’Brien Immigration law practice to further his vision of offering exceptional, affordable and respectful legal assistance to immigrants, and in particular with asylum seekers. This practice, which now has six attorneys, has a very high success rate in obtaining asylum or other legal status for immigrants. He has been honored by the East Bay Sanctuary, a non-profit organization, for his pro-bono work, and serves as an attorney mentor for the Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights.

Bartlomiej Skorupa

Bartlomiej Skorupa is a serial social entrepreneur who dedicates his life to inspiring leadership. In 2008, he co-founded a nonprofit that invested in leaders who are creating a world beyond poverty. He raised over $8M for leaders who were implementing innovative solutions to end poverty. Bart is a frequent panelist, keynote speaker, and workshop facilitator at forums that focus on leadership, philanthropy, technology, and community development. He is also a member of the Full Circle Fund, SOCAP, Opportunity Collaboration, and Summit Series families.

Katlyn Torgerson

Katlyn Torgerson is passionate about helping mission-based organizations grow their impact. As a consultant, board member, and volunteer, she has helped nonprofit leaders with fundraising, strategic planning, board management, events, marketing, and communications. She is currently a Corporate Vice President at CCS Fundraising, a leading fundraising strategy and management firm. She is a board member at San Francisco Students Back on Track, a volunteer tutor, and a Teach For America alumna.

Alex Trauzzi

Alex Trauzzi is a veteran of the technology industry with over twenty years of management, consulting, and strategic thought leadership. He is employed at salesforce.org, a respected social enterprise that leverages technology, community engagement, and strategic grants to provide exponential impact to the nonprofit sector. In his role as Vice President, Customer Success, he and his team leverage technology to provide business support to thousands of nonprofits helping further their missions, touching millions of constituents.

Our Core Values

Be Fierce

Immigration is a contentious issue that stirs passion in the soul. Undoubtedly, scrutiny and opposition to our views exists. And in the face of that opposition, we will remain steadfast in our core values.

Be Unabashedly Patriotic

We are proud Americans that believe that the United States has been and always will be a welcoming home for immigrants, refugees, and asylum seekers.

Give First

We lead with benevolence and rise by lifting others selflessly. By giving first and selflessly helping from the outset, we open the door for lasting and meaningful relationships.

Listen To Those We Serve

We listen to the needs of those we serve. We cannot allow our vision to blind us to what our beneficiaries are telling us they need. We will pivot, we will adapt, and we will thrive.

Embrace Human Dignity

We believe that the law is the difference between a society ruled by the most powerful and one that honors the dignity of everyone, strong or weak.

Do Not Judge

It's not our job to play judge or jury, to determine who is worthy of our kindness and who is not. We choose to understand why everyone deserves an opportunity to live the American Dream.

Persevere

Our purpose inspires sacrifice, stimulates innovation and encourages perseverance. While we work to help people where they are today, we do not lose sight of a systemic solution in the coming future.

Mobile phones are used world wide and are used extensively by immigrants. In fact, almost all immigrants have used mobile phones before coming to the US. Almost all immigrants and undocumented individuals purchase phones upon their arrival. Most therefore, also have access to text technology, voice mail, internet access, etc.

Yes, it can send any information that can be helpful to immigrants. Examples include: how to obtain medical services, how to obtain a drivers license, where to take English classes, certain tax information, if the person is eligible for a work permit, etc.

A customer will make initial contact with Mobile Pathways through their cell phone. For example, they can text a message like "si" or "yes" to a short code like 21465. Once they have made contact, then Mobile Pathways will communicate via text message.

Yes, Mobile Pathways stores information (with your consent) so that it can best help you with your immigration questions. The information will be stored on a unique Salesforce Contact ID, such as a cell phone number.

With your consent, Mobile Pathways can pass on your information to nonprofits, attorneys, or immigration advocates who have registered with Mobile Pathways and who may be able to help you. However, it never shares information with the government.

Yes, Mobile Pathways will be able to help families navigate their process. Mobile Pathways can help separate fact from fiction, help them understand the various court requirements, how long the families will be divided, how to get out on bond, how to change their case to a location where the person has family, etc.

Donate

Your contribution will be invested in educating immigrants, refugees, and asylum seekers about their legal pathways to the American Dream.

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